This guest post is by Karl Staib of Domino Connection.
Have you ever planned out your day and put marketing as the last thing on your list because you just can’t stomach another rejection?
I know I did. I have a popular blog named Work Happy Now that gets 15,000 visits a month. That’s due to backlinks, Google search, and social love. This happened because of my desire to build relationships with people. I didn’t force myself onto anyone. I connected with them via interview, guest post or Twitter. It was this kind of outreach that I enjoyed.
The marketing that I avoided was cold calling, cold emailing, and buying ads on websites. I just didn’t want to build connections with people who weren’t interesting to me.
You marketing should be a celebration instead of some stodgy task that you have to do to get a few sales. If you hate the kind of marketing you’re doing, your business won’t grow.
Think about it this way: everything you do is marketing, from a blog post to a conversation with another blogger. You are creating something. You can create something beautiful and memorable, or you can create something forgettable. It’s up to you.
In this post, I’ve put together a few concepts that you can use to delight and encourage people to talk about your blog.
Give away surprise gifts
Studies have proven when people receive an unexpected gift their dopamine levels skyrocket. Knowing this you can give someone an extra boost to your visitors. You may even want to include a little blurb about it on your blog.
I would suggest keeping track of everyone that leaves a comment on your blog for one month. The person with the most comments for that month wins a free ebook, ecourse, or something along those lines.
The idea is to keep it a surprise. I guarantee that person will keep coming back to your blog and leaving comments for a long time.
Throw an online party
Throwing an online event is a great way to get people talking about you. The technology is so good today that you can do almost any kind virtual event. You can create a webinar, tele-seminar, Twitter party, Facebook giveaway, or a contest that engages people.
The idea is to build authority and friendships with your tribe.
Throw a physical party
An online event is cool because it’s not as stressful as a real-life event, but a live event has a few benefits.
I still remember my first tweetup with Robert Scoble. I’m not really a tech guy, but I wanted to see what a tweetup was all about. Robert was visiting Austin and put together a group of people to meet at the restaurant. He was a cool enough guy, but the best part of the party was the people I met. I still keep in contact with someone I met that night over five years ago.
By creating an event for people that allows them to bond, you are creating something worth sharing. Since Robert threw that Twitter party over five years ago, he gets a link from Problogger.net. That’s priceless.
Help out a charity
My friend Colleen Wainwright created the 50 for 50 event. She promised to shave her head if she was able to raise $50,000 by her 50th birthday.
You should check out her link. She has an image of her shaved head on the page. She was able to raise over $50,000 for WriteGirl, a charity that helps young girls improve their writing skills.
Colleen gets the benefit of raising money for a super-cool charity, but also building her network. I know that’s not why she created the event, but it’s a nice bonus to have a new network of people to help you with your business.
Your story
It’s all about creating a story. If you can get people on board with your story, you are able to create an event that tugs at their hearts.
Chris Guillebeau created The Empire Building Kit to help people who wanted to create a lifestyle business that fits their needs. He wasn’t sure how to get people excited about it, so he went on a trip. His return trip stopped in Chicago and he wasn’t able to get a flight to Portland. His wife suggested that he take the train. At first he balked, but then he found out the train was called Empire Builder.
He then got a bag from Tom Ben called the Empire Builder. Chris realized that he needed to launch the Empire Building Kit while riding on the train back to Portland. He invited his friend J.D. of Get Rich Slowly and it kept building from there. He blogged about the whole trip, turning the story into his launch. A very successful launch.
Can you see how this story sucks you in? This is great marketing that can be a lot of fun. When you are planning on releasing something to the world, you need to have a plan that grabs people’s attention and makes them take notice of who you are and what you created. It’s a little more work than a standard launch, but very much worth your time and energy.
These are just a few ideas, but each of us has a different approach. What have you done to celebrate your marketing and turn it into a fun event?
Check out Karl Staib of Domino Connection and his free e-course “How to Create an Amazing Product Launch,” You can also check out Domino Connection on Facebook because he shares all kinds of great content and tips.
Excellent insight Karl!
People forget that the feeling, or energy, we adopt, and place behind our marketing campaign makes all the difference. Make your campaign fun. Let your personality out.
I have traveled Southeast Asia for the past 20 months so I have worked this internet lifestyle aspect of my opportunity into many blog posts and videos. Have fun with it! The more fun you have the more like-minded people you will attract to your opportunity.
Thanks!
Hi Ryan, You’ve nailed it. The energy that you put in you’ll get back in return. It doesn’t always show up right away, but give people time and they will be attracted to your hard work.
Hi Karl,
I like your point that their should be some surprise gifts for a person with top comments.,because in this way you can create loyal audience for your blog .And if your audience is loyal then i think that
is your big achievement .
Thanks for sharing useful tips.
Hi Ali, Building loyalty in your audience is what every great blogger strives for, but it’s always harder than it looks. We have to be responsive, caring and willing to go the extra mile. When our readers see us do this that’s when they trust us. It’s this trust that encourages them to share your stuff with a friend and buy products from you.
I love how your strategy is focused around connecting with people. I was expecting an article full of advertising buzzwords, but this is down to earth and full of gold.
Marketing should be about people. It’s not just all about the sale — it’s about the value we can share with others.
Of course, I’m brand new to this whole blogging thing so take my thoughts for what they’re worth. I’m finding community building a slow, but incredibly joyful process.
Thanks for this rock solid advice.
Cheers!
Hi Trevor, Blogging is a slow process. Even Darren’s 100,000+ followers took years to build up. Darren is so good at making people feel special and appreciated. It’s why people keep coming back to DPS and Problogger again and again.
Great post.
If you can add a bit more value and offer something unique or different, that helps too.
People are willing to trade time for something that makes them happier or better off.
Here’s an article that has a different perspective in marketing that’s rarely talked about on the internet – intelligence. We can[t all chase being the best looking!
http://antitransivity.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/apple-or-stephen-hawking-or-harvard.html
I know what you mean Karl,
That’s how I used to feel until I found a better way to incorporate REJECTION into my marketing system.
The question goes like this.
What should I do now that they have said NO: :(
a. mope about it?
b. ask them why they said no? (beg)
c. Reply with a better offer.
I have chose C recently and have been very happy with the results.
It works like this:
1. Ask someone for something that you need. (marketing get)
2. They say NO.
3. You offer them something that you KNOW the CAN actually do.
You’ll be surprised at how many will take you up on your counter offer. They may not publish your GUEST POST but maybe they’ll agree to an interview. Get it? Got it? Good.
Hi Darnell, Never give up. If you keep at it you begin to have a better understanding of how you can help them. As you get smarter you can help more people. It’s a process, but one we must all go through.
Thank you for this inspiring post, Karl! You really refreshed my memory and made me aware of reconnecting with that personal and social touch. It really resonates with how I feel about this subject.
When I’m having a “marketing-research-day” I often find myself digging in boring knowledge which totally takes out the fun part. I also think the future (and hopefully great achievements as well) lies in the social area. People want to feel and be part of something. And they will often help for something in return…
I’m glad to say I’m definitely going to implement this more in my strategy and see where it will take me.
Best,
Martin
Hi Martin, Thanks for the kind words. Sometimes we get lost in trying to create a perfect marketing plan when in reality it’s about the people we connect with, not how good our plan is. Creating this connection is what brings in buyers and referrals. Good luck and let me know how the changes are coming along.
What awesome ideas to celebrate, virtually, online, and offline, and ways to help others out. I love the creative ideas!